Following the news yesterday that the 23-year-old Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba collapsed at the end of the first half of the FA Cup tie between Tottenham Hotspur and Bolton, everyone tends to ask the same question.
Why would a fit young athlete suddenly collapse on the football pitch with an apparent heart attack? Consultant Cardiologist, Dr Anthony Chow says:
It is too early to tell but this is likely to be malignant ventricular arrhythmia that has caused his heart to stop, therefore needing a defibrillator to re-start his heart.
I suspect he may have a form of cardiomyopathy (some form of heart muscle disorder) or that he developed an acute inflammatory condition of the heart muscle (most often due to post viral infection), called myocarditis. Further information would probably assist the diagnosis and follow-up care, but he is receiving intensive care at the moment and that is how it should be.
Our thoughts are with Fabrice, his family and friends, and we wish him well.
